Chapter 44: Flora of the Blooming Valley
{Since you've already met the mecha beauty Hotaru, let's show you someone else. However, there are two options, so let's put it to a vote.}
{A: Seed— An eccentric girl in the New Eridu Defense Force. She's been acting mysterious lately, and her teammates are worried, so they want Belle to investigate.}
{B: Bronya Zaychik(Herrscher of Reason)— With Welt's help, Bronya has successfully inherited the Herrscher of Reason's powers, but she's about to have her driver's license revoked.}
〘March 7th〙: I'm so torn.
〘Stelle〙: Hard to choose.
〘Belle〙: I haven't been on screen yet, pick A.
〘Trigger〙: A
〘Magus〙: AAAAA
〘Orpheus〙: A
〘Seed〙: Me? Is this about Seed Sr.? I have to watch! AAAAA
〘Seele〙: A, I don't want to see Sister Bronya get hurt.
{Well, A is the winner. But don't be discouraged if you picked B, it'll be shown later. Now, let's begin!}
[ NOW PLAYING: FLORA OF THE BLOOMING VALLEY ]
{After the Random Play had just finished resolving the disaster caused by the Exaltists, they continued their cultivation journey. One morning, members of the Obol Squad, who had collaborated with them previously, arrived at the Random Play with a request for Belle.}
〘Ju Fufu〙: I have a junior sister again?
〘Ye Shunguang〙: I HAVE A JUNIOR SISTER AGAIN TOO!!!!
〘Yi Xuan〙: Alright, we get it, you both have a junior sister. Stop shouting in the Random Play.
....
『 "So… what exactly is your commission about?" Belle asked, looking at the group.
"Right to the point? I respect that — but hold your horses!" said Orpheus's tail, Magus. 』
『 ....』
〘Huohuo〙: Is that a tech-style tail?
〘Tail〙: Don't lump us Heliobi in with technological constructs, okay?
....
『 "What Magus means is that we need to go through some brief but necessary procedures first." Orpheus explained.
"Apologies, Proxy. But please believe that this procedure is not due to any wariness or distrust of you…" The light on Trigger's visor turned purple. 』
『 ....』
〘Belle〙: We're screwed, Brother…
〘Wise〙: Isn't this because you wanted screen time…
〘Belle〙: You didn't stop me! I think you had the same idea.
〘Zhu Yuan〙: Proxy? Belle, can you tell us what this is all about?
〘Belle〙: Uh… we're good Proxies, can we not tell anyone else?
〘Stelle〙: So what do Proxies do?
〘Belle〙: Just think of me as the Black Swan that guides you. I'm just the one guiding raiders through the Hollows.
{Don't worry, considering your status as the Phaethon siblings, only those who know your true identities and have deep connections with you will be able to see your faces in reality.}
〘Belle〙: Zhu Yuan, we'll come by to apologize later!
〘Grace〙: Dealing with Zhu Yuan is simple, just give her a hug.
〘Qingyi〙: Correct~
....
『 "This commission concerns one of our important companions. Until the matter is successfully resolved, we do not wish for any accidents… nor do we wish for anyone else to know."
"Don't worry, I won't reveal this commission to anyone else!" Belle patted her chest, guaranteeing it.
"Anyone! Including the target of the mission! In fact, the target of this mission is the one we most want you to keep secret from!" Magus emphasized.
"If you are ready, let us begin signing the non-disclosure agreement. It is not complicated; you only need to clearly state I agree during the final stage of the voice terms." Orpheus said, looking at Belle.
"Why does this feel so mysterious… I have no problem with it, let's start!" Belle looked suspiciously at the two girls and the gun, but because of their previous cooperation and her relationship with Trigger, she ultimately agreed.
Orpheus nodded and recited the terms.
"First, as the client, we promise to keep the contents of the commission from Magus strictly confidential and shall not directly or indirectly disclose them to the mission target or any other third party."
"Related matters include, but are not limited to, the client's identity, the motive for the commission, specific action plans, etc."
"Second, the Proxy's investigation and assistance regarding the mission target must be carried out independently and must not mention the client's instruction. Specific scenarios may include, but are not limited to, the following…" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Is this really a brief procedure?
〘Hanabi〙: Such long-winded clichés…
....
『 "Reading it out item by item is too tedious! Orpheus, just read the main points, read it all in one breath!" Magus couldn't watch anymore and interrupted Orpheus's casting.
"O-okay! The last one, if necessary, the Proxy must take reasonable measures, including but not limited to encrypted communication, eye contact, appropriate lying, etc., to prevent any situation that could lead to a leak! Finished!" Orpheus said, speaking very quickly.
"That is certainly a very stylish set of agreement terms… I agree." Belle laughed awkwardly.
"Excellent. With this non-disclosure agreement, we are now in the same boat! Whether you leak anything… Trigger will confirm it for me through 24-hour uninterrupted surveillance." Magus tapped the gun barrel.
Trigger's face lit up a shy pink at Magus's words.
"Captain, you're scaring the Proxy. Plus, I need sleep — working 24 hours non-stop is pushing it." 』
『 ....』
〘Belle〙: Shouldn't the focus be on the surveillance part?
....
『 "Is that the focus…" Orpheus uttered the same retort as Belle.
"So, can you tell me now? What is the content of this request?" Belle asked Magus.
"Of course… It's about Seed. All those in the know are here now. Since Soldier 11 joined the team later than her, she doesn't know the ins and outs of the story, which is why we didn't bring her today." 』
『 ....』
〘Seed〙: Finally getting to it, I want to see what you guys are hiding from me.
〘Magus〙: Sigh, whatever, keep watching.
....
『 "We hope you can assist us in hiding the death of Seed Sr. from her," Magus said. 』
『 ....』
〘Seed〙: Captain, what are you talking about? Seed Sr. is just sleeping!
〘Magus〙: …
....
『 "Seed Sr.? …Do you mean the intelligent construct that Seed pilots? But didn't Seed say he's been sleeping the whole time… Did something happen to him recently?"
"Not recently… Proxy, Seed Sr. was indeed an intelligent construct with self-awareness once, but that was years ago."
Trigger's face light did not light up, indicating her dejected mood.
"Eleven years ago, his logic core suffered irreversible damage… for an intelligent construct, this is equivalent to a terminal illness. He persisted for many years… but shortly after joining the Obol Squad…" Orpheus stopped there, the implication clear.
"How could this be… But in Seed's perception, he's just sleeping? Has she really never noticed anything unusual?" Belle asked, puzzled.
Magus lowered the gun barrel and explained: "Over these years, we have been working together to hide this from her, creating the illusion that Seed Sr. has fallen into a long slumber… This was also Seed Sr.'s dying wish."
"That girl's perception of the concept of death is very weak, so she has believed in Seed Sr.'s state deeply until today… But recently, she has started to become a bit strange."
"After experiencing the event where used miasma to create soldiers, the frequency and duration of her zoning out have increased significantly. I fear she has developed some strange ideas because of it."
Trigger's face light turned blue. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: ?
〘Belle〙: Still censoring spoilers, I see.
....
『 "And just a short while ago, she broke into Hollow Zero all by herself and built a little safe house for herself inside! Now, apart from missions, she basically spends every day in that safe house…" 』
『 ....』
〘Qingyi〙: Spending every day in Hollow Zero... her Aether adaptability must be incredibly high.
....
『 Belle was shocked by this; wouldn't her body be harmed by staying in Hollow Zero for so long?
"Her Ether Aptitude is terrifyingly high; she doesn't need to fear any corruption at all… On the contrary, people without high Ether Aptitude can't even see her anymore. It's actually a good way to avoid social interaction." Magus explained, even making a joke.
"In short, because of the influence of the last incident, she has started to doubt things regarding Seed Sr.. But she's acting all mysterious now, and she won't even tell us what she's planning!"
"Proxy, I beg you! I don't know why, but Seed has been especially close to you since the first time she saw you. You should know she is very resistant to communicating or interacting with strangers… yet she says you are her own kind." Trigger looked at Belle.
"I think perhaps you can get closer to her and find out what she's thinking. If she really is doubting Seed Sr.'s state… please join us in maintaining this lie. I'm sorry, I know this might put you in a difficult position…"
"I think I have a general idea of the situation. Please let me give it a try! Although I really don't know why she would feel close to me… perhaps this is what they call Protagonist Aura~" Belle nodded.
"Being able to say such weird things… it seems we found the right person. Your erratic train of thought is indeed very suitable for communicating with Seed." Magus commented to Belle.
After confirming the location of Seed's safe house with the two, Belle set off. 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: Ha, you were talking about me earlier, aren't you a protagonist too?
〘Belle〙: Ahaha, we're doomed.
〘Kiana Kaslana〙: What's wrong with being a protagonist? This lady is definitely the protagonist!
....
(I'm not well-versed in the ZZZ lore; let me know if I used the wrong English terminology.)